According to Minister of Justice Pavel Blažek (ODS), there is a good chance that the legislative novelty “inadmissibility” of using corporal punishment in raising children will pass not only the Chamber of Deputies, but also the Senate. “It was not an easy debate, but it took place and there is a chance that the House and the Senate will accept it. If we somehow expanded this proposal, it might not succeed, which would be a shame,” said Minister Deník N.
At the same time, the change in the law is declaratory, which the minister emphasizes. According to him, it is crucial to make it clear that parents do not face punishment. “It’s about making a declaration that children shouldn’t fight, but it doesn’t mean that the police will go around homes and see if any child has been punished in any way,” Blažek explains, adding that this puts the Czech Republic alongside most states that they say that children should be punished in ways other than corporal punishment. “People don’t have to worry about it being criminalized,” he added.
The change results from older agreements within the UN.
The details were described by Deník N.
After the ministry settles the comments, Blažk’s colleague will assess the amendment. And it is this minister, the Minister for Legislation and Chairman of the Legislative Council of the Government Michal Šalomoun (for the Pirates), who sees the changes as a step forward.
“I’m glad that it was reflected in the amendment to the Civil Code. However, the text of the amendment may still change. The key will be in what form the amendment will go to the Legislative Council of the Government,” said the minister when asked by Deník N.
He responds to some partial reservations about the fact that the amendment does not contain sanctions for parents who use corporal punishment by warning that the amendment solves the issue in a way that is common for family law. “For example, we have a legal obligation for spouses to live together or be faithful to each other. So this is nothing unusual,” he noted. The law does not punish the violation of the obligation to live together and be faithful to each other.
